Septoria
46 SEPTORIA ‘Believe that we are all murderers and thieves? You can spend all day worrying if I am going to betray you and knife you in the back, or we can make a deal here and now for your goods? Now you see the lies that others tell.’ Nickname: The Charlatans Languages: Septorian, Eluvian Population: Säuger 70%, Eluvian 25% and Drummon 5% Government: The Doje and Merchant Houses of Septoria. Leadership: The Doje, representing the Merchant Houses. Lifestyle: Mercantile and seafaring. Heavily invested in the portal stone trade. SOCIETY No society is as free as the Septorians. Lavish colours, provocative dress, laughter, singing, trading, haggling, speaking, shouting – all these things make a normal and typical town or village within the borders of Septoria. While there is a class strata – peasant to noble, the people of Septoria each belong to a Merchant house of Septoria. It is through this connection of familia that Septoria is based – to marry into or out of one’s family is both a consolidating and joyous time for one and a bitter and sad loss for the other. What is unique to the culture of Septoria is the dominance of wealth and trade as a source of power rather than the right of birth. There are several tales of individuals breaking away from their Merchant houses to found a new house – finding success through pure whim and enormous amounts of luck. But for every good luck story there are as many fall from graces with many merchant houses unable to navigate the waters of fiscal greed. Each village is run by a merchant family, each one having appointed a Maester, to oversee it. It is the role of the Maester to enforce the laws that govern the land and to maintain the order in his region. However the Maester rarely involves himself in matters of law, far too busy making sure that his region fulfils quotas and manages mercantile issues from the community. This might seem that towns are lawless, however due to the prolific nature of duelling, such issues are rarely let lie. Any citizen of Septoria may challenge another to a bloody duel to settle any matter. For some, the duel is the ultimate expression of justice, the ultimate way to prove one’s self. Most duels are by custom and tradition fought with dual daggers, a dagger and a short sword or a short sword and magical power. 47 List of common crimes and monetary compensation (bribe) Robbery – Double the amount stolen (in the case of goods twice the amount of the standard cost of the item) Arson – Property estimate in coinage plus 25 percent of its value Beating – a small number of Aureus Injury – Cost of healing + a small number of Aureus Maiming – significant amount of Aureus, depending on the level of incapacitation Extortion – Double the Extorted Fees Bribery – Not a Crime Injuries occurred in Duels – Not a crime, no monetary compensation required. The rules of duelling are simple. 1. A person must have a reason to challenge – duelling is not a child’s play thing, but a serious business. 2. The challenger will declare to what severity the fight shall be to. The challenged may alter it one category. There are 4 categories – No bloodshed, to first blood, to the first one downed or concession and to the death. 3. The challenged may choose the weapon or weapons. The challenge must involve a weapon, although it does not have to directly involve bloodshed - for example target shooting. 4. The challenger may choose the time and place - but this must occur not more than a day ahead and no farther than a place that one can travel in a day. 5. Duels cannot be interfered with. Those that do are open to reprisals from all present. Once the duel is concluded, the matter is decided. There are no second chances. To do otherwise is to shame yourself. The Merchant families have rights and responsibilities to uphold the mercantile stability of Septoria. A loss of production and the newer families may contend to take their lands and responsibilities. Cut throat power plays and political machinations are very important necessity; trust a valuable commodity and loyalty a must for long term survival. The arms of the mercantile families have routes secured to almost all places in the world. The only places that are free of such holds are the lands of the Ekhai Lāhui and the Avantine. LAW Laws are pretty lax in the lands of Septoria. That is not to say that they don’t exist, merely that they are rather biased. There are very few crimes that cannot be solved with judicious use of money to acquit the accused and bribe the accuser. For those that cannot afford the price of the crime they are accused of, Septoria gives these people three choices – indentured servitude, prison time or death. Both indentured servitude and prison both have obligations on the guilty – each year of service was worth a certain amount of Aureus. After the appropriate period of time, the guilty is released along with anything else he or she may have earned. For all matters requiring judgment, each Maester has authority to dispense justice as he sees fit. In larger matters of law, the Doje of the time is given full control in all judicial matters. Free of control of any one Merchant house, he can enforce economic sanctions on other merchant houses without reprisal. More over the Doje’s guard are taken from orphans and are taught loyalty to the position and they say these guards cannot be bribed, ensuring the Doje’s safety. That said, there are three laws that are irrevocable and cannot be transgressed. The penalty for these crimes is death. 1. We are not animals – Forcing yourself upon someone is worthy of death. 2. We are not beasts – Murder for murders sake is inexcusable and worthy of death. 3. We are not ruled – We do not submit to any one ruler or king. Those who attempt to enforce such things are worthy of death. 48 While these may seem trivial they are laws that have held true. Being caught murdering someone is the most common of these. Some people lose their minds in the heat of the moment and are condemned with this law. Others are unfortunate in that their plans for a quick clean kill can be tracked back to them or they are merely caught in the act. Death by duelling is legal and is considered the last word on matters of law. There have only been two instances of a person attempting to wrest control of Septoria away from the Merchants Council – Their names are forgotten but there punishments weren’t. The first was covered in a sticky honey and staked out to await the devouring by small insects that took two weeks to kill him. The Second had his limbs and other extremities removed, his eyes taken, his mouth sealed but his ears left intact so that he could hear how much he was despised before grinding him up and feeding him to the beasts that till. EDUCATION AND TRAINING The guild system suits the Septorians heartily. They are more than happy to allow their children to attend whatever guild makes sense for the child’s disposition and skills. This said, many Septorians are naturally gifted toward the mercantile classes and many find themselves attracted to the Merchant guild. Since its inception, the Merchant Guild has always been led by a Septorian, allowing for the Septorian people to gain every advantage in their mercantile dealings. TRADE AND INDUSTRY If there is one thing that the Septorian people do well, it is trade. It is said in the Capital city of Codicia anything can be bought or sold. From food stuffs to artworks, mercenaries to land – almost anything is available. Even things normally frowned upon in other countries such as drugs or information can be found if one knows the right channels. RELIGION Almost non-existent would be an understatement. Due to the lack of intervention of the gods in the Septorian society, the Septorians do not pay much heed to the gods nor to the Orders. A major city like Codicia is likely to have a temple dedicated to each god. However these temples are often small and decorated sparsely in contrast to the rest of the city. The patronage of temples, and support of the Dedicated, is at the whim of the Merchant houses. NAMES AND LANGUAGE The Septorian language is old, but it has evolved greatly over time. This was the first Sauger language that the Drummon and Eluvian peoples learned, and the Septorians are the most well-travelled people, with trading posts in every part of the world. Hence their language has adopted many words and phrases from the Eluvian and other languages. The Septorians do not hold any particular pride for their language and are happy to learn and use any language that is convenient for their purposes. The Septorian names fairly simple, having a personal name and a surname, usually inherited from the father. Septorians often identify as members or servants to a house, but this does not necessarily feature in their name. Female names: Amata, Antania, Benvenuta, Bona, Bruna, Clara, Flore, Letitia, Massaria, Rosana, Verde Male names: Antrea, Bartolomeo, Brenardo, Bonacorso, Francesco, Gerardo, Guido, Iacopo, Piero, Family names: Biancho, Brano, Colembo, Casta, De Luca, Gallo, Greco, Lambarda, Mancini, Mareno, 49 The History of the Septorian people is one of myth and legend. Much has been lost, records, books, knowledge of the past. What is recorded here is the tale of their transition from Empire to Merchantile house; from oppressive reigime to the land of do as you please, to the Septoria of today – free and full of opportunity but controlled from destructive tendancies Presented here is their more elaborate creation story written from their beginning to the end of the Eluvian War. The truth of these legends is lost to history. DRESS The Septorians value wealth, and are keen to display their wealth and status in their dress. Opulent colours, textures, jewellery, anything to show how successful the wearer is. Each merchant house has particular colours and livery, and servants to each house are expected to show their loyalties by dressing in house colours. Men tend to dress in pants or hose (tights), tunics, doublet, cloak, vest, hats; and women’s features, dresses and kirtles, skirt and bodice, corsets, etc. Both sexes wear many layers and slashed styles in order to better display the frivolity of wealth. It is not uncommon for even the poorest to pretend to be wealthier by wearing the best clothes they can acquire. HISTORY The ancient Empire of Septoria. Proud, noble and despised. At one time nearly a thousand years ago the totalitarian regime of the Emperor of Septoria was renowned for its cruelty and creed of order at any cost. The lands were clear of any crime, the safest place in all the kingdoms. Discipline, it was said, was the key to the stability of their kingdom. Discipline and making sure that the punishment fit the crime. For the crime of stealing a loaf of bread, imprisonment. For the crime of the speaking out against the Emperor, imprisonment. In fact for any crime the same punishment was given; imprisonment. Imprisonment in the Black Towers of Hoardares held the distinction of imprisoning any who broke the law, guilty or not. The fact that any who went in never came out, helped to keep the people in line. The Emperor himself, it was said, lived in a palace made from a stone so transparent that he could see throughout his castle to make sure that spies would be unable to hide from him in his domain. Then came the rise of the red sky. With it everything changed. An image of a large dagger, bathed in the pallid white light of the moon, appeared on the side of the crystal castle. Such an image drove fear into the Emperor, who regarded such a symbol as a treacherous one. The people who saw this image were enchanted by its simple unspoken message - the Emperor was weak. Rumour spread throughout the lands, but the Emperor, recovered from his panic, declared that there was no issue and that all was well. The second image was again an image of a white dagger appearing on the walls of the Black Towers. Not only was this image left there but a message was left upon the edges of this blade, a message that would cut the Empire apart as easily as the real thing. ‘I am Change. I am Freedom. The Enemy of Order The Emperor need fear me I am all you desire I am all you dream. The age that is to come The land of do as you please. ‘ The Emperor, ever swift and merciless, immediately ruled that any caught wearing, using, creating or selling daggers of any sort would be taken away to the Black Tower of Hoardares for the charge of treason, there to rot for all time. 50 For the next period of time, for we stopped counting for good reason, the Emperor grew more fragile and terrified. More and more of the population began to be convicted for petty or unsubstantiated crimes. The level of paranoia grew with each passing day. It is said it happened upon the final day of the red sky. On the eve of this auspicious day, the Emperor, now crazed with paranoia issued a decree that anyone seen upon the streets of the capital would be executed on the spot. Unfortunately for him, the first to be killed was his only son. Whether by accident or design, he had not yet heard his father’s command and left the tower at noon much as he had done for years. It is said that the Emperor, broken beyond measure laughed maniacally as he killed his own child, a chilling echo of what was to follow. The following hours saw a bloodbath within the palace on a scale never seen before. The Emperor’s wife, appalled at the death of her son, took the life of the Emperor. She was killed by her own daughter in revenge for that treason. On and on the bloodletting spread, each of the murders staining the walls of the castle red, their blood was seeping into the very crystal itself. Many of the people of the land, emboldened by the bloodshed, committed acts of violence of their own. Each of them attacking and killing the local authorities, their neighbours, indeed anyone who had ever wronged them. Some fled, retreating to the coasts, praying for the gods to help them. Perhaps they were saved, for they were never heard from again. And for the mob? As one, the mass of crazed people made their way to the Black Tower. Though the crowd was immense and full of such anger and hate, the gates of the tower held, barring the people and protecting the guards, a cheer rising up from the guards. And that’s when he came. Parting the ranks of the people with an unspeakable aura, cloaked and hooded with a dagger clutched to his chest, he slowly purposefully stood before the gate. It is said that he chanted for hours in the darkness of the night, the crowd falling silent enraptured by his every inaudible word. Then as he finished, he smote the gate with his dagger and the world ended. The earth heaved, wind howled through the air and lighting struck the gates of the Black Tower, shattering it to cinders. He merely gestured to the open door and said four simple worlds ‘Do as you please.’ In the hours that passed since that moment many who were imprisoned were saved. Those that had survived within the cells of the towers were crazed, some surviving with their souls intact, some broken by what the Black Tower had done to them. Others still were looking upon a new world with opportunity. The guards never survived the night. But the man in the cloak simply stood there upon the tallest tower, still standing after everything. ‘This land is now yours. I leave it to you with but one warning. If everyone does as they please, in what can you trust?’ And with that he was gone. 51 The people quickly forgot what was spoken and for dozens of years afterward, the mighty Empire of Septoria fell to ruin and neglect. In the land of do as you please, people did exactly that and in our moment of triumph, we lost our säugurnity. This tale will not tell of the barbaric things that Säuger did to Säuger. It will not tell of the horrors that we did to one another. It will never speak of the atrocities committed or the terror we unleashed upon ourselves. Wisdom had been replaced by madness and soon the country faced terrors unlike any they had known before – starvation, plague and death. For if no one cared to plant the crops, then who fed the people? If no one buried the dead or provided sanitation, then who stopped the plague? If no one worked together, how would anything be made right? Nearly a quarter of the population was lost to the butchery that was had, a fifth to the famine that gripped the land and a sixth to the plagues that tore through the lands. With less than half the Säuger in the country left living, they went back to the tower, beseeching the gods to show them the way. Though this struggle was lost many a time over the following years, an unlikely ally came to Septoria at this time of need, the people of Eluvia. No one knew where these strange folk hailed from. However they offered the beleaguered nation its assistance and the Septorians gladly accepted. In a gesture of friendship, these strange beings brought the gift of magic to our people, a gift that aided in the healing of the land. They allowed us to learn and study their ways, allowing us to plant our crops and grow our food faster. They themselves worked beside us, healing our sick, tending to the land. Without them, we would never have survived. It allowed us to change our lands for the better. Food grew, the people knew places within society and from the dying ashes of an unstable land rose, Septoria once again. The reorganization of the lands and people took many years to accomplish. By the time the next great challenge arose, the Septorians were no longer bound to the ways of the past. Now the Septorians ruled themselves, led by a council of the greatest families. No longer was Septoria a nation to be governed by one man using force to ensure the will of the people. Instead, each of these families established their own bases of power, learning the art of the merchant and establishing great trading houses across the lands. And for each of these great families, who valued the loyalty shown only by their own kinsman, made their own force of guards and armsmen. To govern effectively the families elected a single representative to deal with external affairs – The Doje. Thus armed and ready for business, Septorian traders began to travel the globe. War however is inevitable. War however came not to Septoria but to their Eluvian allies. Thus when the Eluvian people came under attack, a call for aid was issued and the Septorian people came to their ally’s side. Each of the merchant families sent their personal soldiers in support of the Eluvian people. Of course the other Sauger nations tried to reason with the Septorians. The emissaries sent from those kingdoms, of Randwelt, Keenan and Toraneya, explained that the once proud lands of the Anari were taken over by the arrival of these strange Eluvians. Each of the kingdoms came to support their ally, angered for one reason or another by the Eluvians. 52 However the Septorians would have none of their fancy talk. Instead they simply told the other nations to return home. As none of them had intervened in the Septorians’ time of need, their problems were their own. The war would continue for many months until the coming of a second red sky that halted the war. Peace negotiations were hashed out, and from among the Sauger, a High King was chosen to lead. Inroads were now made with other nations and trade was opened up, much to the Septorians’ delight. And the rest would become history, written in the books of scholars everywhere. But this was our history, our story and our truth. The Septorian people have never forgot their roots, never forgot the tale of the Dagger. Each year a celebration is held for the hero of the people, the nameless Sauger who saved the people of Septoria from tyranny and death. ENVIRONMENT Septorian lands are among the most fertile in Dantir. The lands are filled with rivers, lakes and other waterways, providing plenty of soil and water for growth – and travel. Septoria has a large and complex coastline, with many well developed ports for both trade and fishing. Often merchant houses have specialized such that particular towns and regions are well known for producing particular crops or livestock. There are a number of ruins across the lands of Septoria – buildings and even whole towns abandoned centuries ago, during times of trouble. These are not much more than curiosities – or annoyance to farmers – as any value most ruins may have once held has long since been looted by hopeful Septorians. How others see the Septorian people: Avantine – To think that we could have been descended from these villains is preposterous. One only need look at their pretty smiles and listen to their honeyed lies to know that they are evil to their core. Eluvian – The Septorians have ever been our allies; their faith in us only heightens our appreciation. If the other Sauger nations held their truths upon their faces as the Septorians do, then our lands would be in an everlasting peace. Drummon – Allies? Yes. Trusted? Only to do what is the most profitable for them. Toraneya – When life does not have the same meaning, how can we deal with them fairly? Jorgenwyld – Cross me, merchant, and I will cut out your heart! Randwelt – Always ready with a handshake and an open palm, I’d like them more if I could see more of their truths and less of their lies. Ekhai Lāhui – Think that you can take what is not yours, Masque? On my islands the only power you have is the power to drown. Best stay away, for your own sake. Kenaan – Another rich nation with all the blessings of a peaceful environment. Yet another nation who wouldn’t last a minute were they in our sandals. Category:Nations Category:Septoria